Bill > SB1652

This bill requires the Department of Public Safety to establish an office specifically focused on preventing the targeting of African American women and girls. This office will be led by an executive director with strong ties to the African American community and expertise in criminal investigations, who can hire necessary staff. The office's responsibilities include advocating for legislation and agency actions to address issues identified in a task force report on missing and murdered African American women, developing recommendations to combat injustice in the criminal justice system's response to these cases, and conducting research. It will also collect and analyze data on missing person and homicide cases involving African American women and girls, including details on Amber alerts, runaways, and comparisons to other demographic groups, as well as examine the connections between these cases and labor trafficking, sex trafficking, and domestic violence. The office will develop tools to evaluate its efforts, provide statistics to the public and legislature, offer technical assistance to law enforcement during active cases, and conduct case reviews for suspicious deaths, cold cases, and cases involving repeat offenders. Furthermore, it will review and advocate for changes to sentencing guidelines and maintain communication with relevant state agencies and federal efforts. A dedicated "Missing and Murdered African American Women and Girls Fund" will be created to support the office's work, and the office will issue grants to community-based organizations providing services to prevent or address crimes targeting African American women and girls, requiring these organizations to report on their activities and outcomes. The office director will also have access to certain private and confidential corrections and medical data necessary to fulfill these duties.

Transportation and Infrastructure

https://www.senate.mo.gov/26info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&BillID=4208961